Andrew J Brady Music Center

Cincinnati, OH.                                           March 5, 2023

Rock Resurrection Tour at Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, OH.

“…I feel, I feel it…Invincible.”

If you did not feel it before the event, you did after! The Rock resurrection tour took the Brady Music

Center by storm on March 5, 2023. Playing to a crowded house and generating nothing but positive

vibes in the Queen City. If you were lucky enough to be there, I know you walked out with a smile.

Having seen Skillet only at a festival before, it is clear to me that John Cooper and company fully

command the stage wherever they may be. And with the support of Theory and Saint Asonia, the night

was more than worth being a little tired the next day.

First to hit the stage tonight is Saint Asonia. On the scene since 2015, the band consists frontman, Adam

Gontier (Former Three Days Grace) on vocals and rhythm guitar. His cousin, Cale Gontier on bass and

backing vocals. Cody Watkins is on the drums. Normally, Staind guitarist Mike Mushok is on lead guitar,

but due to “extenuating circumstances” he is unable to join the band for this tour. In his place is

Adelita’s Way/Art of Dying guitarist Tavis Stanley.

Kicking it off, the band starts with “Better Place” from their 2015 self-titled album. Getting the crowd

going early, they jump next into “Above It All” from the 2022 EP “Introvert”. Though Adam starts out

playing guitar, eventually he grabs the microphone and starts to walk to each side of the stage to engage

the crowd bringing everyone to life.

Making the most of their time slot, the band moves next into “The Hunted” from the 2019 release,

“Flawed Design”. Here we see the light show and various color pulsing through the stage and crowd.

After this, we are treated to some old crowd favorites as Adam explains that he used to be in another

band. Since we all know who, this gets the crowd roaring again knowing they will be in for an old

favorite. The first song is “Never Too Late”. The song starts out with Adam playing the first notes and

singing the first few words. As he steps back from the microphone, and without missing a beat, the

crowd takes over til we hit the chorus. Big smiles everywhere…on and off the stage.

Next up is ”I Hate Everything About You”. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was the original

band. Adam, Cale, Cody and Travis take us through this classic with ease and comfort. This one is a clear

crowd favorite, not to mention a personal favorite.

From here, Adam takes another short break, now to explain that he did vocals on a song with another

band… Apocalyptica. Again the crowd reacts loudly as they break into “I Don’t Care”. Once again, Adam

gives us the first few words and the crowd takes over. Now onto some more band originals, the Saint

Asonia boys move straight into “Devastate” from the 2022 EP Extrovert. If you’ve been listening to

satellite radio, you can’t help but know this one. From the quick drum beats by Watkins and riffs from

Tavis Stanley, this one really defines the current state of Saint Asonia. Adam joins on vocals to complete

the sound here. By the time they hit the second verse Cale and Cody join with a fast underlying beat that

keeps the heads banging in the crowd!

Finishing their set with “Let Me Live My Life”, this band has outpaced the expectations of any opener

and really set the stage for a great night for the Resurrection of Rock.

Next up, it’s Theory of a Deadman. Formed in 1999, the band consists of Tyler Connelly on lead vocals

and guitar, Dave Brenner lead guitar, Dean Back on bass guitar, and Joey Dandeneau on drums and

backing vocals. The band certainly has some sarcastic lyrics and mixed with a hard rock sound, I know

we are in for some fun tonight.

As the lights dim, Dave walks on stage playing the opening riff to “Dinosaur” from their 2023 release.

Dean and Joey join in to get the crowd headbanging right from the start. As the music backs off to the

guitar riff, Tyler joins on vocals for the opening verse. Eventually firing the smoke cannons and kicking up

the light show, the band takes over the venue in style. Next, Tyler ditches his trench coat and chimes in

about crazy women as he transitions into “Bitch Came Back”. As with most of their songs, it has a catchy

and familiar beat with a humorous story to tell.

Moving forward, it is time to slow things down as the band move into “Two of us (Stuck)”, another

recent single. Noticeably different lyrics but a tip of the hat the Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr.

classis song (Just the two of us). Odd to hear the familiar tune telling a completely different story. Again

letting Theory show their music and lyrical talents. From here we get to hear several crowd favorites

including “Lowlife”, “History of Violence”, and the newer “Ambulance”. During the set, they’ve taken to

playing one of the few country songs I actually know… Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places”. Tyler

calmly walks to the mic and announces “joining us on stage now is Garth Brooks!”. Of course we are all

looking trying to see where he is before Tyler decides to announce that he does this every night and is

hoping Garth Brooks will show up one day. So, Garth, if you’re ever in the same town, it would be funny

to jump on stage with Theory of a Deadman!

As we go towards the end of the set, Tyler talks to the crowd again about the daily annoyances of life.

Things that get in the way like traffic, work, relationships, etc. He tells the crowd they wrote a little song

about it as he sings the opening for the 2008 hit “Hate My Life”. Dave and Dean get the crowd going and

have them clapping along as Tyler sings a line then holds the microphone out for the crowd to finish the

verse. Rounding out their time on stage and finishing strong with two of their most heavy airplay songs,

Tyler whistles the introduction to “RX (Medicate)” another commentary on life in these times. Finishing

up a successful night with “Bad Girlfriend” from Scars and Souvenirs, Dave and Dean jump up and down

encouraging the crowd to do the same, while the crowd takes in their last ear candy from Theory of A

Deadman for tonight.

On to tonight’s headliner, the mighty Skillet. Hailing from Memphis, TN the band was formed in 1996

and currently consists of John Cooper on vocals and wife Kory Cooper on guitar and keyboards, along

with Jen Ledger on drums and vocals and Seth Morrison on guitar. Apparently Morrison is a hometown

boy from southern Ohio and during the set sported the Bengals Jersey in deference to the team’s home

stadium next door the Brady center tonight. Staying true to the Christian Metal/Rock persona, Skillet

brought such positive energy tonight, no one could miss it.

To kick off their set, Jen walks to the front of the stage and takes a bow before climbing up to the drum

kit. The band immediately breaks in the pounding beat of “Feel Invincible” from the 2016 album

Unleashed. Korey stomping back and forth, while Seth has one foot on the riser, waving his guitar back-

and-forth over the crowd. John looms large over the crowd as he belts out the lyrics being joined by Jen

on backing vocals. A great start, setting the stage for some inspiration throughout the evening.

As the applause from the opening numbers dies down, Korey begins the opening keyboard sequence of

“Rise”, while John and Jen belt out the lyrics to a crowd jumps and claps along. From here, we get a new

song with the stage set by a recorded narrative playing over the speaker as the band leads into the open

beats of “Surviving the Game” from their latest album Dominion: Day of Destiny. For this sequence,

John Cooper has donned a smoke canon on each of his arms and as the chorus hits, he lets a blast them

out over the crowd, while even more canons are going off on stage. He takes the canons off pretty

quickly to gain more freedom controlling the stage and keeping the crowd involved in the show.

As the show quickly rages on, John takes a minute to talk to the crowd saying the night is going to be

“Legendary”! To which they break into the song of the same name. This followed by additional classics,

“Awake and Alive” and “Hero” which also features John and Jen on vocals. There is no waver in Jen’s

voice as she belts out her lyrics while pounding out the beat. These are two of my favorites that really

bring forward the great combination of clean female vocals mixed with a more coarse male vocal effort.

For sure this is part of the unique sound that is Skillet.

A mix of old and new songs populate the next several tunes in the set. We hear “Not Gonna Die” from

the Rise album as Korey opens with a keyboard riff that leads to a pounding, all encompassing beat from

Jen, Seth, and John. Then into ”Psycho In My Head” from the 2023 release. A heavy beat that has the

crowd all jumping in unison. John bounces his arm over the crowd in the same rhythm like a heavy metal

pied piper.

Not to forget the fans, frontman John Cooper clearly enjoys engaging the crowd during the set. He

paused to hear what some had to say. One couple announced they used a Skillet song for the wedding

recently (I couldn’t hear which one) and a girl, sitting on her parents shoulders, was recognized for

holding the “It’s my birthday” sign during the show. Apparently six years old! A love of live music and

attending concerts comes best when your parents encourage it. Thumbs up to those who do.

As they move on to “Comatose” and then “Finish Line” from the 2019 album Victorious, John hums a

few notes at the beginning and starts singing the lyrics. The crowd roars as John re-introduces Adam

Gontier to sing the second verse and finish the song out with them.

It is here we learn Seth is an Ohio native as he sports the Joe Burrow jersey and shouts “Who Dey” to get

all the Bengals fans going. After that, he jumps up on the riser again, while John gets the crowd jumping

as they break into “Monster” from the Awake album. As the set gets close to the end, they bring out the

string section to join the band onstage again for another song, “Rebirthing”. Though a bit slower, John’s

strong voice keeps the excitement in the air as the band joins in the chorus.

The crowd saddens for a moment as John tells them they have time for one last song. This quickly turns

to excitement as Skillet begins to play “The Resistance” from the album Unleashed. Everyone is up and

feeling good for the last few moments of a stellar performance. Thanks to Skillet, Theory, and St. Asonia

for bringing this night of entertainment to Cincinnati.

Review By: Jim Ouellette

Photos By: Toby Clark

Setlist:

1. Feel Invincible
2. Rise
3. Surviving The Game
4. Legendary
5. Awake And Alive
6. Hero
7. Not Gonna Die
8. Whispers In The Dark / Jen Ledger Drum solo / Seth Morrison Guitar Solo
9. Psycho In My Head
10. Comatose
11. Finish Line (With Adam Gontier Of Saint Asonia)
12. Monster
13. Rebirthing
14. The Resistance

Photos By: Toby Clark

Setlist:

1. Dinosaur
2. Bitch Came Back
3. Two Of Us (Stuck)
4. Not Meant To Be
5. Lowlife
6. History Of Violence
7. Hurricane
8. Wicked Game (Chris Isaak Cover)
9. Ambulance
10. Friends In Low Places (Dewayne Blackwell Cover) (First Verse Only)
11. Angel
12. Hate My Life
13. Rx (Medicate)
14. Bad Girlfriend (With Snippet of Paradise City by Guns N' Roses & Walk by Pantera)

Photos By: Toby Clark

Setlist:

1. Better Place
2. Above It All
3. The Hunted
4. Never Too Late (Three Days Grace Song)
5. I Hate Everything About You (Three Days Grace Song)
6. I Don't Care (Apocalyptica Song)
7. Devastate
8. Let Me Live My Life